One cup of coffee, one chocolate bar, one cup of tea a day is enough to produce lumpiness and tenderness in some women who are sensitive to caffeine. Your desire to stop caffeine depends on how uncomfortable your breasts are. You may want to stop using caffeine only before your periods when your breasts are more tender.

There is no proof that caffeine-related substances cause cancer, but they do cause confusion when fluid accumulates in the breast. For this reason, if you or your doctor find a lump, we would recommend stopping caffeine to see if the lump goes away. If it does, then the lump was due to fluid retention-not cancer.

Whenever you're having a routine examination with your doctor, it may help to schedule the appointment for a date that will fall after you have finished menstruating and after approximately two weeks without any caffeine. This makes the tissue soft and easy to examine, helping the doctor considerably. Many people can consume caffeine without getting breast lumps. It's certainly all right for those people to have caffeine. Also, after menopause, ingesting caffeine is less likely to cause breast pain or lumps (although it can happen then, too).

If you get caffeine-withdrawal headaches, cut down on the caffeine ingestion slowly instead of quitting "cold turkey." There are many substitutes for caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee can be substituted for regular coffee. Carob (a substitute for chocolate) and carob recipes can be obtained at health food stores. Decaffeinated tea can be substituted for regular tea. Herbal teas can be substituted for regular tea, but some of these contain caffeine. You should read the labels to make sure that no caffeine is present. Many caffeine-free colas and sodas are now available.

This page is intended as an educational resource only. It is not a substitute for professional care. Please see your physician if you have any concerns about your own health.

More...Breast tenderness and lumpiness may point to fibrocystic breast disease (FBD), a non-life-threatening but uncomfortable condition that affects many women. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful:

Get to know EPO
3 grams of an herbal evening primrose oil supplement every day may help alleviate symptoms
Cut the caffeine
To reduce pain and tenderness, avoid coffee, black tea, green tea, cola drinks, chocolate, and over-the-counter drugs containing caffeine for at least six months
Go on a low-fat diet
Lower estrogen levels by eating fewer high-fat foods, especially from animal sources
Get routine checkups
Rule out the possibility of breast cancer by performing monthly self-exams and visiting your healthcare provider for regular medical exams